With a population just below ours, SA's handling of coronavirus has been 'ruthlessly efficient' and thorough.

Lockdown measures are draconian with the sale of cigarettes and alcohol banned - to curtail visits to local stores.

Only 1,650 infections and 10 deaths, so far.

With heavy penalties for not adhering to the strict regulations, expected to last 3 weeks.

A member of my staff Barney who can't get a flight home tells me the army are deploying ruthlessly on the streets; beating people with sticks etc. She says it is a very ugly atmosphere with liquor stores being robbed because of the clampdown on alcohol.

She fears the social effects far more than the virus; but yes also worried about certain crowded poor areas that when this thing takes a grip may wreak havoc due to rates of hiv and tb..

We have I concede yet to see how this may play out in crowded, poor (in money and health) slum areas...

Those pesky media folks in South Afric must have been working overtime.

A very beautiful country but seems to be stuck in a time zone with crime. Apartheid is far from over. Port Elizabeth is gorgeous in the Summer.

The Lurker wrote:
Those pesky media folks in South Afric must have been working overtime.

Well they are even less able to protect the significant minority of people at mortal risk than we are, so yes I suspect so Lurker; needs must in the political/media complex: you are getting the hang of this!